Commissioner Hardesty on Portland protests, police reform - a podcast by Laural Porter/KGW

For the first time, Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said she is open to heading up the Portland Police Bureau.


Traditionally, the mayor has taken on that role, and Mayor Ted Wheeler currently heads the bureau. Hardesty, who is pushing for police reform, had said in recent interviews she had no interest in being police commissioner.However, during this week's taping of "Straight Talk," Hardesty told KGW's Laural Porter she's warming to the idea of having the police bureau in her portfolio. She currently oversees three first responder bureaus: Portland Fire&Rescue, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and the Bureau of Emergency Communications.

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